Gearing



ec. 15, T936.

F. H. BENGE GEARING Filed Aug. 13, 1935 Patented Das. 15 1936 GEARIING Frank H. Benge, Norristown, Pa.,

Continental-Diamcnd Fhre Company,

assignor to Newark,

9 Claims.

'Ihis invention re1ates to composite gears and, more particularly, 130 gears formed of metallic and non-metallic materials. The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved gear having the ad.vantages of non-metallic gears but having much greater strength than such gears. The invention is applicable generally to both web and spoke-type gears.

Another object of the invention is 120 provide an improved silent gear having great strength, which meets the need for quiet operation incident bo modern development in the automotive and other industries where non-metallic gears are employed, and which Is capable f withstanding the loads encountered in such use.

A more specific object of the invention is so provide a gear having a composite rim formed cf complementary metal1ic and non-metallic parts designed to give si1ent operation and. to provide great strength.

The invention may be clearly understood by reference 130 I:he accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred form of the gear. The invention is illustraced as applied to a fibre spoke gear but this is merely for the purpose of disclosu1e, II; being understood that the invention is noo thus limited but is capable of general application as above stated.

In the accompanying drawing:

30 Fig. 1 is a face view of a spoke gear in accordance With the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken a1ong line 2-2 cf Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along 1ine 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view cf a portion of the gear rirn; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrat'1ng an alternative embodiment.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 cf the drawing, the gear illustrated comprises a hub portion I, a load-transmitting portion 2, a non-metallic rim portion 3, and a metallic rim I. In accordance with the invention, the non-metallic rim portion 3 and the metallic rim I are formed. complementary to one another in a manner 130 provide a composite non-metallic and metallic working surface as will oe explained in detail later. The non-metallic 1im portion 3 may be formed. of any suitable material such as bakelite, hard rubber (where the gear is not subjected 130 011), hard wood such as lignum-vitae, leathe1' or rawhide, etc. Preferably, however, the non-metallic rim portion is formed of resin-impregnated fabric in laminated form or more advantageously t0 small constructed.

pieces of fabric material impregnated with a synthetic resin binder, for example a phenolic resin, and, more specifically, a phenol-formaldehyde resin. manufacture of laminated products may be advantageously employed in this instance, since the use of such scrap material, Which would other- Wise be wasted, efl"ects a saving in the co st of the gea1. It is preferablc also to form the hub' portion I and the load-transmitting portion or spokes 2 cf the same material as the rim portion 3, these portions of I;he gar being formed integrally in accordance With the method. described hereinafter The hub portion I may surround and firmly bind itself to a metal bushing 5 having serrations 6 on its outer surface to provide the necessary firm bond with the hub. This bushing may be adapted in any suitable manner for fixedly mounting ment such as a shaft, as is well known. 1

The metallic rim I may be formed of an y suitable meta1 having the desired strength. Preierably steel is employed in the formation of this rim. The steel rim is firm1y attached toand interlocked With the non-metallic rim portion 3 by the provision of transverse recesses I and projections or lugs 8 on the inside of ehe steel rim, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. interdentate portiohs on the non-nietallic rim portion 3 and. the metallic rim 4 thus securely 1ocking these parts together. II: Will be umlerstood, of course, that any other suitable means may be employed to efi"ect this desired purpose.

In accordance with the invention, the metallic rim I is provided with ab least one inner recess 9 which preferably extends annularly or circumferentially entirely about the gear. The recess 9 extei1ds outwardly into the portion of ehe metal rim which is tcI constitute the workirig portion of the gear. It is further preferred that the recess 9 sha1l extend. substantially to the pitch line of the gear teeth. The non-metallic rim portion 3 is formed complementary 130 the m-etallic rim so that the non-metallic rim portion has an outer annular projection I!) seated in the recess 9 and extending inco the toothed part cf the metal- 1ic rim substantially to the pitch line of the gear teeth. In this manner, each of the gear teeth II is compositely formed. and comprises a nonmetallic section I2 (see Figs. 2 and 4) and a metallic section I3. 'Ihus each of the teeth has working surfaces, as shown 'clearly in Fig. 4, hav- Ing metal1ic and non-metallic sections With the non-metallic section extending substantially to the pitch 1ine of thetooth. The surfaces I4 be- The scrap material resulting from ehe A the gear on a rttable ele- This provides k tween the teeth are also compositely formed, each such surface comprising a non-metalllc portion l5 and metallic p ortions I6 on opposite sides of the metallic portion. It will be seen, therefore, that the entire working surface of the gear is compositely formed of metallic and nonmetallic sections. 'Ihis structure eliminates the noise which is inherently present in the operation of metallic gears, and at the same time the desired strength cf the metallic gea1 is had, by virtue of the metallic rim, in a gear which 1'S formed mustly of non-metallic material, such as resin-impregnated fabric o1 pieces thereof. By having the non-metallic rim port1'on 3 extend substantially to the pitch line of the gear teeth, lt is found that very quiet operation is obtained.

In Fig. 5, there is illustrated an alternative embodiment in which the metallic rim 4a is provided with a pair of recesses 9a and. the nonmetallic n'm portion 3a has outer projections llla seated in the said recesses. Otherwise, the structure is substantially the same as that above described. The invention contemplates broadly the provision of any desired complementary formation of the non-metallic rim portion and the metallic rim, with the non-metallic rim portion extending into the working portion of the metallic rim so as to provide a composite metallic and non-metallic working surface.

The gear proviclecl by this invention may be manufactured in any suitable manner. F01 example, the method disclosed and claimed in copending application, Serial N0. 89,677, filed July 8, 1936, may be employed, in which case the metallic rim and the nonmetallic material may be placecl together in a, mold and heat and pressure may be applied to mold the said material and to convert lt into its final form.

A gear constructed in accordance with the in- Ventlon 1's far supen'or to the ordinary composite gear made entirely cf non-metallic material and yet retains the desired qualities of such gear, such as quiet operation and economy of production. Comparative tests have shown that the gear cf this invention will outlast the ordinary composite gear in the ratio of approximately 20 to 1. In a specific case, under a certain test load, an ordinary composite.gear ran for only five hours before fallure, whereas a gear constructed according to the invention showed no indications of failure after one hundred hours. The cost of manufacture cf the present gear is not much greater than the cost cf manufacture of the ordinary composite gear, and the increased cost is fully warranted by the improved results obtained.

(Although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific -emloodiments, lt is obviously susceptible to modifications such as may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A composite machine elemkant, such as a gear, comprising a non-metallic rim portion, a hub portion, a load-transmitting portion connecting said rim and hub portions, and a metallic rim surrounding said rim portion and attached thereto, saicl non-metallic rim portion and said metallic rim having complementary working portions cooperatlvely arranged. to provide a composite nonmetallic and metallic working surface.

2. A composite machine element, such as a gear, comprising a non -metallic rim portion, a hub portion, a load-transmitting portion connecting seid. rim and hub portions, and a metallic rim surrounding said rim portion and attached thereto,

y said metallic rim having at least one inner recess extending outwardly into the working portion 0f the said r1'm, and said nonmetallic rim portion having an unter projection seated in said recess and extencling into the working portion of said metallic rim.

3. A compositie gear, comprlsing a neu-metallic portion, a hub portion, a loacl-transmitting portion connecting said rim and. hub portions, and a metallic rim surrounding said rim portion and attached thereto, said non-metallic rim portion and said metallic rim having complementary toothed portlons ccoperatively arrangecl to pro vide a composite non-metallic and metallic tooth portion.

4. A composite gear, comprising a neu-metall1'c rim portion, a hub portion, a load-transmitting portion connecting said rim and hub portions, and a toothed metalllc rim surrounding said rim portion and attached thereto, said metallic rim having at least one inner annular recess extendlng outwardly through a, portion of the toothed part of the said rim, and said non-metallic rim p0rtion having an outer annular projection seated in said recess and extending into the toothed part 01 said metallic rim.

5. A composite gear, comprising a non-metallic rim portion, a hub portion, a load-transmitting portion connecting said rim and hub portions, and a toothed metallic rim surrounding saiol rim portion and attached thereto, said metallic rim having at least one inner annular recess extencling outwardly substantially to the pitch line of the teeth 011 said rim, and sa1'd non-metallic rim portion having an outer annular projection seated in said recess and extencling substantially t0 the pitch line of the teeth on said metallic rim.

6. A composite gear, comprising a rim portion composed of interspersed pieces cf fibrous material and a binder, a hub portion, a load-transmitting portion ccnnecting said rim and hub portions, and a toothed metallic rlm surrounding said rim portion and attached thereto said metallic rim having at least one inner annular recess extending outwardly substantially te the pitch line cf the teeth on said rim, and said fibrous rim portion having an outer annular projection seated in said recess and extending substantially to the pitch line of the teeth on said metallic rim.

7. A composlte gear, comprising a rim portion composed of interspersed pieces of fibrous material impregnated With synthetic resin, a hub portion, a load-transmitting portion connecting said rim and hub portions, and a toothed metallic rim surrounding said rim portion and. attached there- 1:0, said metallic rim having at least one inner annular recess extending outwarclly substantially to the pitch line of the teeth on said. rim, and said. fibrous rim portion having an outer annular projection seated in said recess and extending substantially to the pitch line of the teeth on said metallic rim.

8. A composite gear, comprising a rim portion composed of interspersed pieces cf fibrous material impregnated With phenollc resin in its infusible stage, a hub portion, a load-transmitting portion connecting said rim and hub portions, and a toothed metallic rim surrounding said rim portion and attached thereto, said metallic rim having at least one inner annular recess extencling outwardly substantially to the pitch line of the teeth on said rim, and said fibrous rim portion having an Guter annular projection seated in said recess and extendlng substantially to the pitch 11'ne 0f the teeth on said metallic rim.

.9. A composite gear, comprising a non-metallic rim portion, a, hub portion, a load-transmitting portion connecting said rim and hub portions, and a toothed metallic rim surrounding said rim portion and. attached. thereto, said. meta1lic rim having a, plurality of inner annular recesses extending outwardly through a portion cf the toothed part of the said rim, and said. non-metallic rim portion ha.ving a plura1ity of outer annular projections seated respectively in said recesses and extending into the toothed part of said metallic rim.

FRANK H. BENGE. 

